Ohio Couple Arrested for Giving Away Their Two-Year-Old Daughter

A young Ohio couple was arrested Thursday after police discovered they had given their neglected 2-year-old daughter to a neighbor 10 days earlier.

Cleveland police received a tip and went to the home of Courtney Followay, 23, and Gavin Aldridge, 24, where they found an emaciated pit bull and fecal matter inside the house, but no child. The officers then discovered Followay and Aldridge had given the little girl away to friends in the neighborhood who agreed to take custody of their daughter if the couple would get help for their alleged drug addiction.

According to the police report, when the child was given away, she had numerous bug bites and her eyes were crusted shut.

Officers took custody of the little girl and gave her to her maternal grandmother, Theresa Cox, after having her examined at a local hospital. The woman seemed to be completely unaware of the situation.

“I can’t imagine what this child was thinking about or going through at the time,” she said. “That’s who concerns me the most. What she went through and why she should have to go through that.”

The parents face charges of child endangering, obstructing official business and cruelty to animals.